What are the different types of Digital Camera Batteries available?
It is always better to purchase a digital camera that is compatible with a variety of battery types. Digital Camera Batteries are widely categorized as rechargeable and non-rechargeable.

Non-rechargeable Batteries
Non-rechargeable Digital Camera Batteries cannot be recharged and need to be disposed after using them once. The non-rechargeable digital camera batteries that are primarily used are standard alkaline batteries and photo lithium batteries.

Standard Alkaline Batteries
Alkaline batteries have good energy capacity but medium power density and tend to drain quickly. They may be used as an emergency power alternative for about 10 to 15 shots per battery set. There are also rechargeable alkaline batteries with lower energy capacities than their standard counterparts.

Photo Lithium Batteries
These digital camera batteries are ideal for users who do not use their cameras very often. They have a low discharge rate and can keep your digital camera working for many hours.

Rechargeable Batteries
Rechargeable digital camera batteries also called storage batteries can be restored to full charge after charging them using electricity. A wide range of rechargeable batteries are available on the market today. They include lithium-ion batteries, nickel cadmium batteries, and nickel-metal hydride batteries.

Nickel-metal Hydride Batteries
With high power density and good energy capacity, Nickel-metal Hydride (NiMH) digital camera batteries deliver excellent power and are also eco-friendly. These digital camera batteries operate over a wide temperature range and can be recharged up to 300 times. These rechargeable batteries come in many shapes and sizes to fit compact devices.

Lithium-ion Batteries
Most brands of digital cameras are powered by Li-ion rechargeable digital camera batteries. They have a lower self-discharge rate when compared to other chemistries and can be recharged up to 400 times. They have a high power density and energy capacity with a shelf life of 10 years, which make Lithium-ion (Li-ion) digital camera batteries the perfect choice for high drain devices such as digital cameras. Even if you buy a rechargeable digital camera battery, you will still need to replace it after a period of 2-3 years. Every time a digital camera battery is charged and discharged, part of its chemistry is deteriorated due to a chemical reaction occurring within the battery. Eventually, all chemicals are depleted and the battery dies. So, whether rechargeable or not, digital camera batteries need a replacement.

Which is the most preferred Digital Camera Battery chemistry?
Most of the digital cameras manufactured by leading brand names such as Fujifilm, Kodak, Leica, Nikon and Toshiba use Li-ion rechargeable digital camera batteries as their power source. Lithium-ion chemistry, with lithium and carbon electrodes, is lighter than other rechargeable equivalents. Moreover, lithium being a highly reactive element provides very high energy density when compared to other ionic batteries and can store more energy than other chemistries. When compared with other rechargeable digital camera batteries like nickel metal hydride and nickel cadmium batteries, lithium-ion batteries have a low self discharge rate of about 5% per month. These slim digital camera batteries can handle hundreds of charge and discharge cycles and do not have any memory effect.